by Fel Fern
“I’m just scared. Everything’s happened so fast, and only yesterday, I was about to be hanged.”
“Five days ago.”
“Wait. What?” Cal turned so he could look Dimitri in the eye. The Alpha looked dead serious. Dimitri reached out and stroked his arm, his touch surprisingly tender.
“I was beginning to worry that you’d never wake, but you did.” Dimitri smiled, one fang slightly sticking out. Not for the first time, Dimitri reminded him of a feral and wild god of the woods. “I always knew you’d come around. My enforcers, even Duncan, my second, thought you’d stay in a coma forever. I’ve known from the start you were strong.”
Cal didn’t know what to say to that. No one ever called him strong in his entire life. He’d been seen as a burden, an annoyance by the entire village, but Dimitri saw him as something more. Valued him. It was a good feeling, Cal had to admit.
Part of him kept wondering if this was still a dream, that he’d wake up in his dark cell in the Throne Village prison. The wonderful aches in his body and Dimitri’s arms around him reminded him this was his new reality now.
“This bear inside of me, will I ever make peace with it?” He had to ask, because he’d never forget the searing pain that ran through his entire body when he woke up.
“You will,” Dimitri said with confidence Cal didn’t feel quite yet. “The chances of Turning a human or half-breed is fifty percent. You were on the verge of death, so the percentage was even lower, but you made it despite all odds.”
“Stop making it sound like I’m such a wonderful person. I’m not. You’re the one who saved me, gave me another shot at life.”
Dimitri chuckled. God. Cal would never get sick of hearing that sound. Dimitri’s eyes turned blazing gold, serious, and he sucked in a breath. He could sense the change in the air, the powerful aura of Dimitri’s monstrous bear. Just when Cal thought he shouldn’t be terrified of this man, the Alpha had to flaunt his power.
“You think I’m our savior, some kind of knight? Think again,” Dimitri said.
Chapter Nine
Dimitri heard Cal’s heartbeats grow erratic, but Cal hadn’t pulled away from him yet. He didn’t mean to frighten Cal, but Dimitri wanted no secrets between them. Trust formed the foundation of any relationship, and just now, he nearly broke that.
Minutes ago, Dimitri had put his mouth, his teeth, to Cal’s neck and nearly gave Cal his mate mark. That wouldn’t do. Cal wasn’t ready. Fuck. Cal had only begun to get his bearings. It would take Cal time to get used to his new body, to handle his own bear. Natural born shifters took years to master their control over their animal. A long road awaited Cal, but Dimitri would be there in every step of the way.
“Are you trying to frighten me?” Cal demanded.
Seeing the familiar spark in Cal’s blue-streaked-gold eyes only made his dick rock-hard again. Now wasn’t the time to pay attention to his libido, though.
“No, I’m stating the truth. The other bear clans fear me because I killed Savage. To make the Skull Crushers name well-known, I’ve done a lot of deeds no one would consider good.”
Cal let out a slow breath. “Savage was a sadistic tyrant. What I’ve seen of you so far, you’re so much better than him, than Keys. That’s good in my estimation. Keys is—” Cal hesitated. Cal looked like he was struggling with keeping his emotions in check, but he continued, “Keys was the bastard who bit my human mother while she was pregnant. That’s why I’m a half-breed.”
Dimitri considered Cal’s words carefully. No wonder he sensed nothing but hatred from Cal when he was about to be hanged. Keys must have made Cal’s life miserable. He planted a kiss on Cal’s lips, a quick, soft, and hopefully reassuring one.
“That part of your life is over, Cal. The past can’t be undone, but its time you focused on your future.”
“And my future, does it have you in it?” Cal asked that question almost shyly, unlike him.
“Not going to run anymore?” Dimitri teased.
“I didn’t know you. When I woke in that tent, I was confused, scared of my attraction to you,” Cal said.
“Not anymore?”
He shook his head. “But how will your clan react?”
“Cal, don’t worry about that. You’re one of us now. Give it time.”
Cal nodded. Dimitri decided he liked the new, determined look in Cal’s eyes now. “I’ll prove it to all of them, to you,” Cal finally said. “I’ll show them that my place is here, with you.”
“That’s my mate,” Dimitri said with a smile.
* * * *
“Good work for today, Cal. You can turn back to human now,” Cassandra said.
Cal panted, still lying in the grass in bear form. His bear didn’t like the sound of that. Cal agreed it would be so much faster to return to the Skull Crushers’ compound in bear form. Slowly but surely, Cal was able to stay in his bear form a lot longer.
He wasn’t ready to return to the base. Cal still wanted to run, to play, to hunt in his powerful new body.
A week passed since Cal started living with the bear clan. They had been initially suspicious of his motives, which he expected. Out of the blue, their Alpha had saved him, Turned him, and chose him as his mate, although Dimitri hadn’t given him his mate mark yet. He had a say in that decision and agreed with Dimitri. Cal was far from ready from tackling his duties as the Apex Alpha’s mate. Dimitri had put his enforcers on rotation, teaching him how to control his bear better, and prepare him for what the clan expected out of the Alpha’s mate.
His responsibilities were mostly support based, but for that to work, Cal needed to get along with the rest of the clan. The Alpha’s mate needed to coordinate with the submissive clan members and the warriors to sometimes act as a go-between. A pretty tough job, given the clan hadn’t even come close to accepting him yet, much less trust him.
Most of the enforcers never said it to his face, but he knew they wished they were doing something else other than babysitting the Alpha’s newly Turned mate.
The only two he got along with so far had been Cassandra and Duncan. They were both no-nonsense, tough, would push him to his limits, but Cal needed that discipline if he wanted to become Dimitri’s official mate.
“Cal, you need to return to human form. Stay any longer in bear form and you know the risks, especially for newly Turned shifters.”
Cassandra’s reminder made him growl in disagreement. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. Compared to Dimitri and the other male enforcers, she might be half their size, but he’d seen how lethal her slender bear could be. What she lacked in power, she made up for in agility. He’d seen her fight before when another senior clan male warrior challenged her for the position of enforcer and lost. Badly.
Cal had learned quickly not to underestimate the dominant female bear shifters in the clan.
He flashed her his fangs. Crap. What was he doing? His bear was acting out again, being rebellious, and it hadn’t been the first time. Dimitri left to meet with another bear clan three days ago, and their mate’s absence left both man and bear a little edgy.
“Don’t make me shift,” she warned, then shook her head. “You’re not ready to stay in this form any longer. All the shifter cubs go through the same training.”
Cal didn’t need to be reminded of that little fact. He slowly sat up and raked his claws over the grass and soil. His bear felt uneasy and that unease only worsened the longer Dimitri wasn’t in the base.
Sensing the presence of another bear shifter, he snarled low in his throat, eyeing the new intruder who entered their training space. Maurice. Just great. His bear became prickly at the presence of his least liked enforcer
“What’s wrong with him? Do us all a favor and become rabid,” Maurice said with a sneer, looking right at him. Cal took a few steps closer to Maurice, flashing the enforcer teeth.
Stop it, Cal shouted at his bear. Do you want the Alpha to come back to a corpse? That made the animal pause.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Cassandra snapped at her fellow enforcer.
Her taking his side surprised Cal.
“Me? What’s wrong with all of you? Duncan even. What’s the Alpha thinking, wasting our time training this fucking infant when we have more important jobs to do?” Maurice returned.
The aggression coming from Maurice’s dominant bear only worsened the anger of his own agitated animal. Cal knew if it came to a fight, he wouldn’t win against Maurice. For one, Turned shifters were weaker than natural-born ones. His bear wasn’t exactly classified as submissive or dominant enough, simply in-between.
That only pissed Cal off, because it was as if his animal was a reflection of himself. Cal had been branded a half-breed his entire life, neither welcomed by humans or paranormals. Would be he treated the same way in his second life?
“Maurice,” Cassandra said in a careful tone. “You’re purposely throwing off angry energy to provoke Cal. Stop it.”
“Why? Are you saying you’re on his side now?” Maurice asked.
“He’s the Alpha’s future mate. Sooner or later, you’d need to accept that. Duncan and I already have,” she replied coolly.
Maurice gave Cal an unfriendly look.
He wants to see me fail, Cal thought with absolute certainty. If he lost control of his bear, would Maurice flaunt that fact to the other shifters? That would only prove to the other clan members that he wasn’t fit to be Dimitri’s mate, because how could their Alpha pick someone who couldn’t handle his bear?
Cal reigned in his bear. Work with me, he silently pleaded. This was a test, he knew it. Dimitri ordered his training be in a secret spot away from the base so he could focus, but Cal knew it was for other reasons, as well. His bear didn’t quite like being with other bear shifters, not yet, because they hadn’t accepted him as clan yet.
A series of painful pops sounded as bones broke. His brown fur receded. It felt like forever, but he finally ended up on his knees, breathing hard. Human.
“If you have nothing helpful to contribute to our training, Maurice, leave,” Cassandra said.
The other enforcer threw him another dirty look, before leaving the forest clearing.
Chapter Ten
“Thank you,” Cal said, donning his clothes. “For taking my side. You didn’t need to, but—”
“I said what was needed. The truth. Drink some water,” Cassandra said, handing him a flask.
He accepted it, took a big gulp. “Bossy and cold. That’s what I thought of you at first.”
She raised one eyebrow at him but didn’t interrupt.
“But you’re actually caring deep down, aren’t you? I remembered. When that rabid wolf shifter mauled me, you were there when Dimitri Turned me.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I was there, doing my job as an enforcer for the Alpha.”
“Sure you were,” Cal said, smiling.
She seemed annoyed by his reaction but only started for the base, with Cal following after her. “Maurice,” she paused. “He’s not necessarily a bad person. He was raised in a pure-blooded bear clan, so he doesn’t think much of Turned shifters.”
“I noticed. He doesn’t treat the other Turned bear shifters in the clan the same way as the purebloods,” he said.
“You observe, don’t you?”
“I need to know what I’m up against.”
She halted in her footsteps. “We are not your enemy, Cal. Think of the clan as your extended family. We will always have your back.”
“I know you will, but only because I’m the Alpha’s mate.”
She shook her head. “I admit, I was a skeptic at first, but after we’ve trained and spent time together, I can see you putting in the work. You’re determined to prove yourself, but you also need to be more open to the other clan members who are trying to reach out, understand you better.”
He began to argue, then closed his mouth. Cal considered her words carefully. Not everyone treated him like an outsider. Mila and Dustin had, in fact, invited him to eat breakfast with them several times. Cal had always made up an excuse or another, because he’d been so worried about his training sessions. He always came extra early, to warm up, to mentally prepare himself.
“You’re right,” he finally said. “I’m not used to this, being in a clan, I mean. Back when I was with a thieving crew, I never quite fit in, either, but they relied on me because I was the leader.”
“Those days are long over, Cal. You cannot just rely on Dimitri. Everyone can see your love for the Alpha is genuine, but the mate of the Alpha isn’t just tied to the Alpha, but to the rest of the clan.”
They finally arrived at the base’s entrance. Maybe he looked forward to his training sessions all the time, because it gave him the chance to be alone. Well, he had a trainer, but he also felt free. It struck Cal that all he might have been doing was running away from his problems. That had to change.
“Cal, you’re back. Dinner is about to be served,” Dustin called out, looking all dirty and sweaty.
The other male shifter was training to be a clan soldier, he remembered, and was also about his age. They’d also spoken a couple of times over the past few days. Dustin, he realized, was attempting to reach out. Friends. He never had those before, but maybe he should try a little harder.
Cal grew up defensive, expecting his allies to backstab him any moment. It was different here.
Cassandra gave him an expectant look. Damn it, if he had an older sister, she’d probably fit that role perfectly.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” he told Dustin, who looked surprised. Then Dustin grinned.
“Have you eaten snake before?”
“Wait, what? Are you joking?”
* * * *
Dimitri returned to the base, only wanting one thing. To have his mate in his arms. Dimitri nodded to the sentries posted at the trees that marked the start of the Skull Crushers’ base.
“Alpha,” the two guards greeted.
Dimitri nodded in return and felt the rest of his party disperse. He looked up at the night sky, glad to be back here. The familiar sound of scampering feet, laughter, and being around his fellow bear shifters put his bear at ease.
Four days felt like an eternity, especially knowing who waited for him back home. He was worn out, tired, and still covered in blood from the group of rabid shifters he and his party encountered during their journey.
Being the Apex Alpha came with certain responsibilities, and now and then, he needed to visit the other bear clans, talk with their Alphas. This time, he brought up the topic of the villages that had been under Savage and came up with a proposal.
Would Cal be pleased to know that the other clans would take responsibility for the villages, ensure they wouldn’t fall to decay and corruption again?
Dimitri headed right for his tent, where he took a quick bath, because he didn’t want to be smelling of blood when he hunted down his mate. He emerged from his tent, stomach growling. Good thing it was dinner time. He headed for the eating area in the center of the base, an open area filled with logs to sit on. A gigantic bonfire was always lit here.
He took a plate of stew from the assigned servers and felt one of his enforcers approaching.
“How did Cal’s training go?” he asked Cassandra before taking a heaping bit of stew, more ravenous than he thought.
“Interesting. May I have a private word with you, Alpha?”
He frowned but nodded as they walked a little further from the others, to a quieter space. Cassandra updated him about what happened earlier.
“Maurice again,” he said with disapproval.
Maurice was the only enforcer who’d been against training Cal, so he decided it would be less trouble if Maurice wasn’t involved. Dimitri had been tempted to demote Maurice after Maurice failed him a week ago, when he let Cal dive off that cliff. In the end, he gave Maurice a second chance and told him not to fuck up again.
“Will he pose trouble in the future?” he asked.
“There’s a possibility of that happening, yes.”
Dimitri sighed, his heart torn. On one hand, Maurice was a good lieutenant, essential to his pack. He had known Maurice held some prejudice to humans, half-breeds, and even Turned shifters, but he thought with time, Maurice would change. Then there was Cal, who was essential to his bear, his heart. Given a choice, he’d pick his mate a thousand times over.
“I need to think things over. All I want to do now is to have my mate in my arms.”
“Alpha, may I suggest you put that off until later?”
He frowned. She probably had her reasons. “Why?”
“This is the first time Cal’s interacting and spending time with other clan mates.”
That surprised him. Dimitri hoped Cal would take to the other bear shifters and vice-versa, but he understood that Cal was used to being on his own his entire life. It would take work, but this was good news.
“With who?”
“Dustin, Mila, and the other youngsters.”
He nodded. That sounded like a good start, because the younger shifters in the clan were more open-minded than older warriors like Maurice. “Then I’ll take your advice and leave him alone until he returns to our tent later.”
Dimitri was damn proud of his mate. Cal had evolved from being a scared and angry young man about to be hanged, to an amazing bear shifter suitable to be the Apex Alpha’s partner. He knew without a doubt that Cal could handle anything thrown his way, and with his mate by his side, they could conquer anything.
* * * *
“I heard you were back, but I couldn’t find you,” Cal said, entering their shared tent.
Dimitri looked up from the bed, set aside the reports he’d been reading, and crooked a finger at his mate. Cal smiled at him shyly, dropped his clothes, and joined him, sliding in the furs. Dimitri drew him close, so Cal could rest his head on his chest. Cal nuzzled against him, the gesture reminding him more of a needy kitten than a bear.
